Donde Estamos?

Tego Calderon (Puerto Rico)

In the coming years it’s projected that “Hispanics” will out spend Black people in the United States. I did say out spend, because the mainstream news is calling it “spending power”, which means to me the “Hispanics” will become the greater "minority" consumer in the U.S. But, who are they talking about when they, the media, say “Hispanics?” This has me a bit puzzled. A couple weeks ago I saw a special on PBS addressing how marketing is beginning to change to accommodate the consumerism of the “Hispanics

Dr Mayra Santos-Febres  (Puerto Rico)

Yet, each time they would show a face it would not be of people that I know for a fact are Spanish speaking Black people or Black Latino. So, where are the Latin people of indigenous or African descent?  They are certainley not protrayed when the "Hispanic" is being discussed on news programs and documentaries.  There seems to be an effort not to show people that look like my cousins from Panama since the market is changing toward “Hispanics.” Is “Hispanic” another one of the code words white America uses to continue a line of demarcation between Black and white?  The "white Hispanic" using this line here in the U.S. is the reason I believe Black people in the U.S. have hesitated to jump on the band wagon when it comes to coordinating with "Hispanic" civil rights organizations, is because "Hispanics" have not quickly joined the battle with us.  And, the Mexican, Guatamalan, and El Salvadoran's have later distanced themselves from the Black American and begin to associate themselves with white American society, often anglicizing their names, after they have won their "rights" with our help.  So then, is the influx of “Hispanics” a buffer of color since white people will become the minority on this particular continent in the coming years? I do find it strange that we do not see Black people when the “Hispanics” and white America are talking about “Hispanics” and “Latinos”  gaining power in the United States.

Merlin Santana (Dominican Republic)

Most of the Black Spanish speaking people live a life very similar to Black people in the United States.  You see, when the police officer comes to the car and he or she sees a black face, there is no distinction as to whether this person is a Black American or a Black Latino.  Delina D. Price, writer of the essay Black Latina, says many of the problems facing Black people in the United States are the same issues that Black people from  “Latin” America face. She says of her personal experience “I was born in Costa Rica, moved to Mexico when I was two years old, and have been living in Texas for almost fourteen years. Yes, my upbringing was unlike most of my black friends in the States. Still, I am more like them than I am like my Hispanic friends from various countries. We (Black people) listen to the same music, enjoy the same churches, use the same hair stylists, and experience the same strain of racism. In a lot of ways it's easier for my black friends to comprehend that there is an African Diaspora in "Latin" America. They see the fact that I speak Spanish as an asset ("Can you help me with my Spanish homework?").

However, she has a different experience with many people that are “ white Hispanic” she says “On the other hand, my Latino friends see my race as a liability. "You're not black, like the African Americans in the United States," one told me recently. It bothers me that to accept me they want to distance me from being black, which carries negative connotations in the Americas. Some even have the audacity to tell me why they despise "those black people."

                                                           

Dr. Kenneth Clark    (Panama) top                                                                       Juan Williams (Panama)

In the end it appears this last statement is what white America, and the “Hispanics” that consider themselves to be white are collaborating to do.  To remove the image of the Black person that is “Latino” or “Hispanic” from the minds of the American public.

I have put in quotes the words Latino, Hispanic and white Hispanic, as these terms are more a political term than racial.  The issues surrounding race in "Latin" America are numerous and quite desturctive for Black people.  Often in these countries there has been an effort to create a national mentality rather than a racial sense of mind.  For instance, many people of color in "Latin" America will see themselves more as Puerto Rican or Panamanian over being Black.  However, in most cases the Black people are under represented or not represented at all in the area of government and business.  In Panama, the Black population is 60% and the remaining 40% are split between the Chinese, Indians from India, whites and other so called indigenous peoples.  Yet, there are no Black people in the government.

If anyone has any updated facts about Black representation in the government of Panama please update us here.